PolyU IR Community:http://hdl.handle.net/10397/21
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:07:40 GMT2015-03-31T09:07:40ZCultural planning university towns : an emerging pattern language in Chinahttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/6989
Title: Cultural planning university towns : an emerging pattern language in China
Authors: Hasdell, Peter
Abstract: This paper is structured around three planning projects the author made for university towns in China. These projects sought to integrate the university into holistically planned urban settlements that could generate or attract other creative and cultural industries. In each case, the university cooperates with the city or region in the cultivation of new urban patterns of development that run counter to conventional orthodoxy. Specifically the project stakeholders saw value in becoming partly de-institutionalised in return for becoming an active participant in a wider cultural context. This co-evolution of the university and the town creates cross fertilization opportunities as a mutually beneficial venture in the creation of diverse cultural environments. The emerging spatial order is one can more easily embody conditions of inclusion, variation, diversity, and cultural sustainability. These projects are discussed in the context of Franco Bianchini’s concepts of cultural planning and the use of its regional cultural resources in the formation and planning of the creative city.Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/69892013-10-01T00:00:00ZLearning the unlearned : product design for sustainability in Chinahttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/6978
Title: Learning the unlearned : product design for sustainability in China
Authors: Leong, Benny; Lee, Yu Hin Brian
Abstract: The teaching and learning of Design for Sustainability (DfS) is not any easy undertaking within today s well-established discipline of industrial design. As DfS learning emphasises unlearning the product-based approach, it involves the uptake of a set of design skills that, if not contradictory, are entirely novel, such as the co-creation approach, consumption-alleviation thinking and solution-based design, thus posing a challenge for most physically oriented design students. Because of the seemingly alienated nature of DfS, most design schools in China are having difficulty in promoting DfS teaching, or have been forced to put it to one side as a decorative subject within the discipline of industrial design, thus hindering its natural development within design education. In this paper, the authors argue that DfS learning is best begun from the unlearned practices of industrial design, and is best pursued within a local, social setting. Cases supporting this view are also presented to serve as a reference for alternative DfS teaching and learning approaches in and for China.Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/69782012-01-01T00:00:00ZAn interactive and generative framework towards enhancing user experiences in interactive music performance systemshttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/6783
Title: An interactive and generative framework towards enhancing user experiences in interactive music performance systems
Authors: Wong, Ling Elaine
Abstract: This thesis presents a theoretical framework which incorporates generative and interactive techniques in order to enhance interactivity and user experiences through interaction and collaboration between users and the system. It proposes an adaptable solution to supporting music performance through a mechanism of adjusting the interactive and generative intensity through the implementation of an interactive music performance system. In addition, it provides sharable components so that musicians or dancers can cooperate with the system and contribute knowledge in the creative process of a collaborative and dynamic generation of new music inheriting strong features of the music recorded online. In recent decade, there is a strong tendency for musicians and engineers to develop new applications based on new interfaces. Music applications equipped with innovative interactive features can easily attract attention. However, it is unavoidable for these applications to be replaced in a short period of time owing to the rapid development of technology. This makes them rather short-lived and re-writing of program code is necessary. Although this tendency can introduce new user experiences interacting with products or systems, it overlooks the need to extend the intelligence and creativity with regard to music making. While generative techniques can provide creative solutions and generative systems give rise to sophisticated generative and transformative outcomes, they are underused by existing interactive music performance systems. In view of this, a balance should be made on one hand to enhance interactive experience and to explore creativity on the other hand. On theoretical basis, the studies of Human-Computer-Interaction address issues relating to interaction, usability of interfaces, cognition and modalities when designing an interactive music performance system. However, it overlooks design issues regarding emotion, creativity and aesthetics which are critical to the design of contemporary interactive systems. There is also lack of theoretical framework towards bridging the gap between designing user interactions with the system on one hand, and designing highly algorithmic and generative systems on the other hand. New theoretical framework will be proposed to introduce new user experiences which can be further enhanced and suggest solutions for a more engaging system or product. This research proposes a theoretical framework aiming to increase interactivity between users and the system by incorporating interactive and generative techniques. It also intends to enhance user experiences and extend the engagement of the system into a deeper cognitive and creative level. Yunnan Yi Minority music performances are taken as a case study. It makes attempt to experiment new paradigm of collaboration between human performers and the system while retaining the traditional practices and techniques of performing ethnic Yi Minority music. This avails exchange of musical knowledge through interaction in the creative process.; During the literature review stage, a real public media performance was conducted in Hong Kong in 2009. I was one of the team performers responsible for keyboard playing and application development which brought out interactive features and contents to interact with the audience. Participant observation was adopted to understand the interaction with the audience and collaboration among performers in real life situation. In order to study the traditional practice and culture of performing dances and music of a group of people in depth, case study is selected as a method to have a closer examination of the music and dance performances of Yi minority group of Yunnan Province in China. Ethnographic field trip is initiated to visit a village where AXi people of Yi Minority live, called Ke Yi Village, in the east of Kunming which is the capital of Yunnan Province. Observation, field notes, video and sound recordings of the performances are major tools to understand the ethnic musical culture. A number of system prototypes are implemented with interactive and generative techniques based on the guidelines suggested by the design models. The music resulted from the systems bears some resemblance to the Yi music with its ethnic elements. These systems are used in the experiments conducted with the villagers to collect data and feedback. Results are discussed and evaluated in the thesis. This research is an attempt to integrate generative design into interactive music performance applications with ethnic minority people who are remotely connected to outside world and new digital multimedia techniques, and whose culture presents a challenge to embracing new ideas and new techniques in their music and dancing tradition. However, the field trips provided excellent opportunities for the author to know the complexity in real interactive music and dancing. They also revealed the limitations of the implemented systems in terms of its real time responses to users who are completely new to any new digital devices and interfaces. The evaluation of the implemented prototype systems provided good insights on how the integrated generative and interactive framework proposed in this research can be further enriched and improved in future research.
Description: 188 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.; PolyU Library Call No.: [THS] LG51 .H577P SD 2013 WongLTue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/67832013-01-01T00:00:00Z心桥无止 : 甘肃省天水市大滩村无止桥建设与实践 = A spiritual bridge with love : Wu Zhi Qiao, Datan Village, Tianshui, Gansuhttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/6671
Title: 心桥无止 : 甘肃省天水市大滩村无止桥建设与实践 = A spiritual bridge with love : Wu Zhi Qiao, Datan Village, Tianshui, Gansu
Authors: Yang, Lu (楊路); Chan, Cheung Michael (陳翔); Ng, Edward (吳恩融)
Abstract: 文章介绍了甘肃省天水市大滩村无止桥的设计及建设过程。项目在扶助贫困的同时,运用生态可持续技术为发扬地方传统文化做出有益的尝试,并藉此搭建起联系内地和香港两地的"心桥"。; This paper introduces the design and building process of Wu Zhi Qiao, a handmade footbridge located in Datan Village, Tianshui, Gansu. The aim of this project is not only to improve livelihood of the poor from remote rural areas but also to inspire appreciation, respect, sense of preservation of local culture and promote an eco-sustainable environment. Eventually, it integrates Hong Kong into Mainland China by encouraging young generation to light up the motherland along with building" a spiritual bridge with love”.Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10397/66712009-01-01T00:00:00Z